Padel – courses

USC Tennis & Padel offers courses to learn the game or to improve your skills, at different levels:

Beginners course
You have no experience with racquet sports. We’ll start with the basics and gradually build up to the most important strokes in padel. You’ll learn the forehand, backhand, volley, smash, and lob, among other things. You’ll also receive a comprehensive explanation of the rules of the game, so you’re well-prepared to hit the court.

Level 9
You have some experience with a racquet sport and know the basics: forehand, backhand, volley, smash, and lob. You can manage at least a rally of 6 strokes, though accuracy is still lacking. Using the walls is difficult for you and therefore you (almost) never use it in matches. You’re familiar with the general rules of the game and scoring, but you’re unsure whether you’re always positioned correctly. In this course, we’ll teach you the positions and hone all the basic strokes. You’ll soon be able to play with greater precision and consistency.

Level 8
You can play a fully independent padel match with rallies of more than 10 strokes. You can rally without the ball unintentionally going too high over the net. If you have net position and are lobbed, you’re often in time to return the ball and resume the rally. During matches, you make few double faults with your serve and occasionally use the walls. You can also volley on a ball that arrives easily, and you are familiar with the rules and correct positioning. In this course, we focus on refining basic strokes, confidently using the walls, and you’ll become acquainted with the bandeja.

Level 7
You’ve mastered the basic shots well, and both volley rallies and rallies from the back pose no problem. If you’re in net position and get lobbed, you’re always in time to return the ball and resume the rally. During matches, you regularly use the walls where necessary, and you also use the double wall regularly. In this course, we’ll continue to refine your basic shots, improve your bandeja, and introduce tactical play.

Level 6
You regularly play padel and have a good command of the basic strokes. However, you’ve noticed there’s still room for improvement, especially tactically. During matches, you often use the (double) wall when necessary. In this course, we’ll refine your basic strokes, delve deeper into the bandeja, and introduce you to the bajada and víbora. We’ll also focus on tactics.

Level 5/4
You’re a frequent padel player, you master all the basic strokes, and you play long rallies during matches. You (almost) always use the (double) walls when necessary and are familiar with Spanish names for strokes, such as bandeja, bajada, víbora, and chiquita. This course focuses on refining these advanced strokes and further improving your tactical game.

• In order to give as many people as possible the chance to sign up for a padel course, you can only purchase one padel course per person per period. You can however purchase a padel and a tennis course.
• In a padel course, you train with max. 4 players on 1 outdoor court.
• A class is 60 minutes, of which 50 minutes are teaching minutes.
• Trainers may remove you from the group if your level is found to be inadequate.
• If you are more than 15 minutes late, the trainer can deny you access.
• You can try to catch up on a missed class. This is only possible at your own level, with every USC trainer. Catching up is only possible if there are 3 or less people present.
• Classes are not transferable. If you are absent, other players will have the opportunity to catch up on a class. So you are not allowed to send a replacement.
• In the absence of the trainer, we will try to find a replacement. If we fail to find a replacement, the class will be caught up on at a later time.
• The padel courts are not covered, in case of bad weather a class may be canceled.
• In case of bad weather, ‘no news is good news’. At least then the trainer has good hope to play.
• The trainer decides whether a class can take place.
• Classes, once started, will not be caught up on, unless the trainer decides otherwise.
• If classes are canceled due to weather conditions, the first class will be caught up on, the second class will not be caught up on, the third class will be and the fourth class will not. The number of classes to be caught up on is therefore max. two.
• The first catch-up moment is usually in the week following the course. It is possible that the catch-up moment is different from the regular class day and/or time. This can occur when the courts are fully booked or when multiple catch-up moments have to be planned.
• If a class cannot be planned or caught up by USC, the following compensation applies:
  • If you have a tennis & padel membership: a one-off discount on the regular monthly fee of the current membership.
  • If you don’t have a tennis & padel membership: a credit on the USC account equal to the number of classes missed.

Would you rather play free at USC Tennis & Padel? Rent a course or get a membership.

Chip & Charge is the student association for tennis and padel in Amsterdam. Check their website.